Singles Club #1

Chromeo: Bonafied Lovin – Single of the Week
A big, neon sock-wearing, bass slapping, powerful slab of ebullient sexy 80s pop. If you don’t feel like doing the robot to this you need to check your pulse. It’s unpretentious and carries off an easy cool. Plus Montreal’s Chromeo are pop’s only successful Jewis/Arab partnership. Immense B-side remix by The Teenagers too.Joey Nightmare:Was Young Once
Pleasant but formulaic girl-indie rock which is desperatly short on originality, quirk or memorable lyrics. And yet more Kate Nash estuary English singing, which gets older and blander by the day.Kanye West (feat T-Pain):The Good Life
Who needs Daft Punk samples to create colourful, smooth, uplifting hip hop? Kanye proves (in case anyone doubted) he can go without cool sampling as rap’s crown prince slinks through another three minutes of trademark speeded-up vocals, head-nodding beats and infectious lyrical hooks. It sounds like summer too. Brilliant.Stalkers: Yesterday is no Tomorrow
First off, great name. Second off, this is a very listenable Stooges via The Strokes belter with a brawny chorus and enough gusto to leave you wanting more.Kate Walsh: Tonight
My last girlfriend’s surname was Walsh. That’s not very interesting, but believe me it’s more interesting than this drudge. Remember the annoying tracks on Dawson’s Creek when the titular big girl used to cry inn his bedroom or something. They’d have played this.

The Whip: Sister Siam
Bleeps. You either love em or you don’t. Like Hot Chip? LCD Soundsystem? Crystal Castles? Yeah, you’ll like this funky little minx. It’s got lots of bleeps.Boy Kill Boy: No Conversation
Exactly a minute and a half after pressing play I thought, is this song still on? Then I thought of Shed Seven. Then I despaired. Then I switched it off.Story One: Russian Dolls
Depressing dirge. Wrist-slashing lyrics and plodding piano. How did they get a record deal? We all like the odd gloomy tune now and then but for fuck’s sake get a soul or don’t bother.Good Shoes: Small Town Girl
Now this is good. In parts sweet indie pop, in parts witty verbose and cool. It just fits together nicely. Great chorus and a great solo. Promising stuff. More of this please. Think Libertines-lite but in a good way.Arctic Monkeys: Teddy Picker
This isn’t really a single in classic 9/10 Arctics style. Still it’s a foot tapper with a nice dose of typical lyrical naughtiness and catchy chorus which I still don’t think will be anyone’s favourite.
“Who wants to be a man of the people when there’s people like you?” is a top lyric though. All a bit Arctics by numbers really.